Jim Johnson’s ’73 Corvette Stingray Coupe
Here’s another great piece of automotive nostalgia from Jim Johnson (Class of ’61). Boy does he ever have a tough decision on nice weekend afternoons: drive this classic coupe with the T-tops off and soak up some rays or jump in his ’67 Plymouth GTX and let that Mopar thunder rev up his adrenalin! The ‘Vette does have one advantage on hot summer days - factory air!
Like his Mayflower, Jim acquired this one as a “previously owned” vehicle. He bought it in 1998 from another engineer at Cessna and loves driving it on weekend trips around central Kansas (Hutch, Winfield, etc.). Says that he’d probably drive it a bit more often or on longer jaunts but it does have a tendency to drink gas like it thinks Jim owns stock in a major oil refinery.
37 years “on the road” don’t appear to have diminished the looks of this beauty at all . . . still looks as good as the day it left the factory in St. Louis. ’73 was the first year for the domed hood, body-color urethane plastic front bumper, fixed rear window and radial tires. It was the only Corvette model year with a urethane front bumper and chrome rear bumper.
In general I’m not a big fan of green cars (only had two as I recall) but I’ve got to admit that the original Elkhart Green on Jim’s Stingray really shows of its classic lines very well.
Year/Make/Model: 1973 Corvette Stingray Coupe (L82)
Color: Elkhart Green
Body: Fiberglass Two-door Coupe with T-Top & body-color urethane front bumper
Interior: Saddle tan vinyl bucket seats, manually adjustable
Engine: L82 350 cu in V-8 with high-performance camshaft & dual exhausts
Horsepower/Torque (SAE gross): 250 hp @ 5,200 rpm/285 lb-ft @ 4,000rpm
Bore x Stroke (in): 4.00 x 3.48
Compression Ratio: 9.0:1
Fuel Delivery: Rochester QuadraJet 4-barrel carburetor
Drive Train: 4-Speed manual transmission, 4.11:1 Limited-Slip Differential
Suspension: Independent, unequal-length A-arms, coils springs; tubular shocks & stabilizer bar (front), independent, trailing arms, toe links, transverse chromium-carbon steel leaf spring, tube shocks & anti-roll bar (rear)
Brakes: Hydraulic, vented four-wheel discs; 11.75” diamter, single calipers, optional power assist
Steering: Saginaw recirculating ball, 17.6:1 ration, 2.9 turns to lock, 39.0 foot turning circle
Wheels / Tires (in): 15x8 slotted steel, 5-lug disc / F70-15 radials
Acceleration (Car & Driver): 0-60 in 5.7sec, ¼ mile in 15.1 sec @95.4mph
Top Speed (Car & Driver): 117mph
Wheelbase (in): 98.0
Overall Length (in): 182.5
Overall Width (in): 69.0
Overall Height (in): 47.4
Track (Front/Rear, in): 58.7/59.4
Frame: Full-length welded-steel ladder with five cross members, welded
Curb Weight (lbs): 3,407
Base Price: $5,921